Monday, May 5, 2014

Garden Update - May 2014

What a difference a few weeks can make! Since we had the rain at the very end of March (about 100 mm) and then a top up of 30 mm in mid-April, suddenly everything is BRIGHT GREEN again and growing vigorously. Its not going to last long though, the nights are getting cool and the grass will die off as soon as we have the first frost, along with the frost-sensitive veges like tomatoes, potatoes and curcubits.

harvest basket in May 2014

In April I continued to harvest chillies, kale, tromboncino, various asian greens and herbs. And a few rosellas. I'm hoping I can harvest some more before they die off over winter. With the rain and cooler temperatures, lots of seedlings sprouted up around the garden, so I sprinkled out a few more seeds. I also planted carrots, turnips and radishes. The radishes should be ready to harvest soon.

A massive patch of parsley (which I have had to start thinning out!)
and behind that is self-seeded onions that I have been spreading out in this garden bed

I moved the herbs out of the shade and back into the middle of the garden
so they could get some sun

here's all the seedlings sprouting and the tromboncino taking over the garden

I planted some peas too, not sure how they will tolerate the frost though

There are lots of tiny chokos on the vine, here's a double choko!

Another rosella flower, they are so pretty!

And some rosellas nearly ready to pick

Last month I was asked a couple of questions:What do I do with tromboncinos? They are like zuchinnis and I used them in everything when we are picking so many. I have recently read that they can also be allowed to mature and used a bit like pumpkin, so I am leaving some on the vine. I would like to save seed, but last year none of the seeds had developed enough. I wrote more about trombos here.

What are rosellas? The rosella plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a species of Hibiscus native to the west Africa, I wrote more about rosella's here. The part of the plant most commonly used is the calyx (the bits around the flower), which I dry and use for tea, but can also be made into jam. The leaves are also edible. I'll write more about them in my herb series in a few months.

The eternal tug of war game...

This month I am going to see what happens with the weather. As it gets colder I need to move some of the pots of fruit trees seedlings up out of the frost (onto my seed-raising table under the car port), and pull out the garden plants that die off. I'll keep planting seeds and thinning out my seedlings. I have some more mulch out in the paddock, so I'll pick that up and spread it around a few bare patches. Winter is also a good time to pick up cow manure for the compost as the dung beetles are less active in the cold (and don't get to all the poo before I do!).

Thanks, I appreciate all your comments, suggestions and questions, if you need me to reply personally to a question, please leave your email address in the comment or in your profile, or email me directly on eight.acres.liz at gmail.com

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Farmer Liz

Liz lives on eight acres in south east Queensland, Australia, with her husband Peter and dog Taz. They have a passion for small-scale organic farming and producing and eating real food. They keep chickens, beef steers, two jersey cows and a big vegetable garden. Liz writes a blog about their farm to both inspire and help others who are interested in self-sufficiency, sustainability and permaculture.

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